Starting Package Fee: $2,000* Home State: MI, Michigan Frequent States Coverage: Traveling Availability: Photographic Equipment: Digital Shooter Negative Availability: Yes Video Capability: No Phone: (contact via website) Web Site: www.marcicurtis.com

Meet Marci Curtis

Hi! I am a photojournalist who took my first wedding detour over fifteen years ago when I shot a wedding as a favor to a fellow photojournalist who was called out of town and I’ve been hooked ever since. I’m used to documenting real life stories for newspapers and quickly found that during weddings there are stories going on all around me... the main story, the behind the scenes story, the back story, even the behind your back story! All are equally important and each story needs to be told. So how did I end up leaving behind shooting for the New York Times and USA Today for weddings? Well, your stories are much happier than news stories, your hours are much more mommy friendly, you all pay better and the food is free! No, seriously, I always knew I’d be a photographer, even when I was little. I was fortunate enough to have a dad who always gave me a camera to play with, always gently coached my shooting, (Ah, look, sweetie... 36 frames of your feet, that’s great. Maybe next time you might want to look up!), and taught me everything I needed to produce huge amounts of work in our darkroom at home.

When I went to the University of Michigan, I continued shooting, taking classes at the Art School, but oddly, they never mentioned you might actually be able to make a living using photography! If it weren’t for my narcissistic football playing friends who got me sideline passes to the U-M games, I never would have gotten my foot in the door at the local paper.

After graduating, I went to the Ann Arbor News to ask them for a job. They kindly pointed out that while I had nice artsy fartsy stuff, I knew virtually nothing about photojournalism. Except that I had nice football photos! So they let me follow their new hot shooter around for several weeks. Then they gave me a job and I married the guy I followed around, Rodney Curtis.

I worked for the Associated Press in New Hampshire for six and a half years before we returned to Michigan with two small children in town. I became the designated stay at home mom and started taking photos of my two girls. That little project turned into my first published children’s book, "Big Sister, Little Sister". I’ve since published two more books with photo illustrations and have over 150,000 copies of my books in print!

During all this time, I’d slowly been building up my wedding business. You might say I backed into it, but now, it’s not only a full time job, it’s the one I love thoroughly. Every wedding is different, every story is unique. I love not knowing exactly what’s going to happen each time. Okay, so there is definitely a general pattern, but as the day takes on a life of its own, I’m along for the ride and it’s a blast!

The experience I’ve gained after shooting over 400 weddings in 15 years lets me anticipate the moments, head off the potential derailing moments and still produce fresh work. I love what I do and I think it shows in my work. I’m still caught up in the magic, the pageantry and the thrill of the day.